Peek: Denizen Types (Patreon)

Denizens are  a vital part of any dungeon.  They are second only to scions for carrying out the will of their dungeon, and scions are really just a subset of powerful denizens.  As Dungeoneers have studied dungeons, we've slowly discovered the types of denizens.  Those with power identification and divination abilities can see these categories directly, though not all at once.  So let's go over the broad types.

We will start with the broadest type: beasts.  While there are arguments about the differences between bestial denizens and the more ordinary beasts of the wilds, that's not especially pertinent to the category.  Beasts are... bestial.  They are not only one of the broadest in terms of biological diversity, but also in focus and affinity.  Very often, a dungeons first several spawners will be some variety of beast, and it's generally accepted it's because of the versatility of the type.  

An entire book on just the varities and specialization of the rat spawner can and has been written (Deep Warrens is my own perspective on the subject), and similar can be done on any other spawner of beast types.  Wolves, foxes, snakes, birds of many varieties, moles, voles, badgers, cats, bears, fish, sharks, beetles, spiders, and more besides can be found as examples of the beast type.

Beast enclaves give rise to the wide variety of kins, and are often a dungeon's first enclave thanks to the early access to the spawners, as well as the versatility the spawners can bring.

Fey spawners are next, and while there are many specializations for the fey, their affinity impacts their development perhaps even more than their specialization.  While brownies are one of the more common low-tier spawns for the fey type, there is very little an earth brownie has in common with a water brownie.

At high tiers, fey tend towards looking very similar, with Archfey of different elements only having a skin tone or odd hair or hair stand-ins to identify them from each other.  While an earth brownie may look like a large dirt clod with a bright hat, and a water brownie will look like a clump of seaweed with a few decorative shells, archfey could be mistaken for cousins with obvious affinities.

When dungeons make fey enclaves, they usually receive elven dwellers, though gnomes are also also fey in origin.

Primal spirit spawners are often seen as a cousin to fey spawners, as they will often look similar to fey of the same tier, or perhaps fey look similar to primal spirits of the same tier.  There is not much to say about the primal spirits that hasn't been covered by the fey, except to say that orcs and goblins come from their enclaves.

Elementals are another major type, and are the most influenced by their affinity.  Some are simply classified acording to their strength, while some get their own unique names.  Crosswinds as a type of air elemental, Undertows as water, Seeking Shade for shadow, and so on.  Specialization will have a moderate effect on the elemental type, though a lot of them will simply leave behind valuable corpses once defeated.  Still, some do actively improve nodes or otherwise improve other resources in their dungeon.

Dwarves trace themselves back to elemental spawners, as do changelings.

Slimes, sometimes jells, are a strange typing.  At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much difference between different affinity or specializations of slimes, but more in-depth study reveals much.  The chapter on slimes will go into more detail than this introduction, but the practical advice is this: if you encounter an unexpected slime on a delve, leave and go to the nearest Dungeoneer's Guild for more information.  Slimes can be easily dealt with once properly identified, but such identification is not simple to do.

As of the time of writing, there are no known slime enclaves, and so no known slime dwellers.  Some suspect certain changelings may be from slimes rather than elementals, but no hard evidence has yet been shown.

Plants are rare, but exist as a type, and include fungus as well.  While I've had Rangers inform me that's not how it works, I have seen the spawners myself.  I chalk it up to just another one of the things that separates denizens from more ordinary wildlife.  Plant denizens are most often life or earth affinity, though any is possible.

Much like slimes, there are no known enclaves, so no known dweller varieties.  There are always rumors of mushroom or plant people in deep caves or in lost jungles, but nothing definitive yet.

Another type with no known enclave nor dwellers are the undead.  They are almost always focused towards combat, and so should be dealt with carefully.  Undead scions are some of the biggest threats a party can face.  They almost all have some ability or set of abilities that can make them very difficult to defeat, from shrugging off hits to vitals to being partially or fully incorporeal, undead should never be underestimated.

The final type to be covered here are the dragons, and said coverage will be the most speculative of this book, too.  Dragon spawners develop slowly, and the denizens are much stronger than just their tier would suggest.  They also have some of the widest variety in body type, rivaling even beasts.  If you are entering a dungeon you even suspect may have a dragon spawner, make sure you get an information packet from the local Dungeoneers before delving.  Slimes may generally be slow enough to let you make your escape, but dragons are not.

Their enclaves are said to be the origin for kobolds, but only legends remain as evidence.  Considering how wide-spread the legends are, I'm inclined to believe them.  In my opinion, the reason there's no more recent examples of natural kobold enclaves is the simple fact that there are no known dungeons powerful enough to upgrade a dragon spawner to the maximum and unlock it.

-Excerpt from Dangerous Denizens, written by Ryndal Windstrider

______________

Inspired by Vik M., who wanted to know the broad categories of denizen.  I've probably forgotten a couple, so there may be an excerpt from Dangerous Denizens Vol.2 sometime in the future.